Did you know that the word "curry" is actually a misnomer introduced by the British in attempt to generalize Indian food? Curry is common referred as the sauce of the dish. For example, Chicken Curry is a chicken dish with a curry (sauce made of spices). A dry chicken dish has no sauce, and therefore it has no curry. In Southeast Asia, people use the word 'masala' to describe a mixture of spices. A masala could be a dry powder or a wet combination of herbs, spices, vinegar, etc. You're probably what curry has to do with the fifth volume of Black Butler, right? Well, Sebastian, the otherworldly butler, participates in a curry contest in a large part of this volume. See, I told you this manga is deliciously bizarre!

Description:For Sebastian Michaelis, the word "impossible" is just not in his vocabulary. Everything demanded of him inn England is well within his grasp and easily handled. Does his talent also extend in all things foreign? With a Royal Warrant on the line, Sebastian is in a curry battle. Can he defeat Agni, the Indian born butler who also possess supernatural abilities? May the best butler win!

Review: Volume 5 showcases the absurdity yet also flashes of seriousness that makes this series a joy to read. As the fourth volume ends, Indian Prince Soma and his butler have fought and gone their separate ways. Ciel commands Sebastian to enter the curry contest in order to get the coveted Royal Warrant for the Phantomhive corporation. For the first time Sebastian is faced with a real challenge. He has to not only figure out how to make a curry, but also beat out Agni's most famous curry and win the challenge. Many funny situations ensue when Sebastian tries his hand at cooking. He uses Prince Soma as a taster. The big curry contest goes as planned and it ends as expected. Prince Soma finally meets Meena, the servant girl that he wants to take back to India, but his plan fails. As if a light bulb goes off in his head, Prince Soma realizes what he selfish jerk he is and tries to patch things up with Agni.
The last chapter was probably the most interesting in the entire volume as Soma and Agni stay on in England and Agni, in spite of being warned, tries to turn himself over to justice. As I mentioned before, the other staff of Phantomhive are incompetent and pretty useless, however, we get to see them a bit more humanized. We get to learn a bit more about Ciel's staff and how very odd it is that before this they all had no one and nothing before taking up their jobs. As always, the art work of Black Butler is gorgeous and amazing. This volume ends with a strange circus coming to London and I'm sure there is something dark and sinister about it. Looking forward to the next crazy adventure that lies ahead.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some violence and some language. Rated OT for Older Teens.

If you like this book try:Black Butler Vol 6 by Yana Toboso, Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizu, Godchild series by Kaori Yuki

I really like the look of the artwork on this one, the cover is just pretty to look at and makes me wish I had the ability to draw like that. The circus coming to town sounds interesting, looking forward to seeing what happens with that!

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